12 REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF FISHERIES. 
cultural work at the Afognak station. However, the past season was 
remarkable because of an extended drouth, which at one time during 
the early winter became so acute that it was feared it would be neces- 
sary to plant all eggs and fry in the hatchery in order to save them. 
In July, 1915, when the run of blueback salmon appeared in Letnik 
Bay, the water in the river and lake near the station was so low that 
but comparatively few fish succeeded in ascending, and of those which 
did eau the lake a large proportion died in the shallow tributaries 
before ripening. The eggs of others hardened in the fish, and, 
altogether, considerable numbers of eggs were thus lost to the station. 
Notwithstanding these unfavorable conditions, the collections 
exceeded last year’s take by a small margin and gave evidence of 
the zealous efforts of the hatchery: force. 
In addition to 6,353,000 blueback and 11,435,000 humpback eggs 
taken at the main station, 5,773,000 blueback and 3,523,800 hump- 
back eggs were secured at the recently established field stations at 
Seal Bay and Uganik. This stock was enlarged during the early 
winter by the transfer fromthe Yes Bay station of 15,000,000 blueback 
egos, which, notwithstanding the 15 days consumed in effecting the 
transfer, were found on arrival to be of very good quality. Besides the 
difficulty experienced with a short water supply, the winter was in- 
tensely severe, and the prevailing low water temperatures so retarded 
the incubation period that the last. of the eggs were not hatched until 
May 29. Despite the unfavorable circumstances contended. with, 
however, 24,513,700 blueback and 13,104,200 humpback salmon fry 
were hatched, and 11,169,440 of the bluebacks were carried through 
to the fingerling stage in good condition. All of the young hump- 
backs had to be liberated shortly after hatching in ower to padre 
sufficient water for handling the fry of the more valuable species. 
All the fish on hand at the Afognak station in the course of the 
year were free from fungus or disease with the exception of those de- 
rived from the Uganik field, a considerable number of which devel- 
oped a white spot about midway of the umbilical sac near the noto- 
chord. The fry thus marked died at the end of the fifth or sixth day. 
The spot was discernible in the egg from 10 to 15 days before hatch- 
ing, but could not be seen previous to that time with the unaided eye. 
So far as known, no treuble of this nature has ever before been ex- 
perienced at the Afognak station. 
The salmon season at the Yes Bay station was remarkable both 
for the unusually large number of eggs secured and for the peculiarity 
in the run of fish. As a rule, brood salmon enter the lake in the 
vicinity of the station from one to two months before they are ready 
to spawn, but this year close observation up to the beginning of the 
spawning season failed to reveal any large numbers, and it was feared 
that few eggs would be available. The first bluebacks were taken 
September 2, and the spawning season. was well advanced before any 
material increase in the numbers of fish could be discerned. Daily 
collections of eggs were continued to September 29, by which date 
72,000,000—representing the total capacity of the hatchery—had 
been taken, and, while large numbers of spawning fish were still 
accessible, the collections had to be discontinued, 
_As the incubation period advanced, the congested condition of 
the hatchery was relieved by the transfer of 15,000,000 eggs to the 
Afognak station and 3,000,000 to the Oregon State Fish Commission. 
